As stated by Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers:
Police acknowledges the IPCA report on officers’ conduct and alcohol consumption while off duty on deployment in 2019, and on the investigation of this behaviour.
Police has clear expectations of police officers’ behaviour both on and off duty and this is set out in the Police Code of Conduct.
Police has previously commented on the incident during the Waitangi deployment and at the time acknowledged that the behaviour of the officers’ involved was completely unacceptable and extremely concerning. Their behaviour is not representative of New Zealand Police culture.
The criminal matters that emerged during the Waitangi deployment were thoroughly investigated and resulted in criminal charges.
We acknowledge the Authority’s findings in this report.
Overall, we trust our people to conduct themselves in a manner which is professional and maintains trust and confidence in our organisation.
Staff behaviour on and off duty should always reflect the Code of Conduct and our values.
We accept the IPCA’s feedback that Police should have investigated all officers whose behaviour could have breached the Code of Conduct. We note that each individual was made aware of how their actions had breached the Code, and their specific actions were addressed accordingly.
Police is always looking at ways to improve our culture and we expect staff to live up to the Police values.
